Nordic Cleantech Accelerator

Publisert 31.03.2014

To speed up the journey to become a global cleantech hotspot, the Nordics needs an accelerator.

This is the thesis behind the business-driven Nordic Cleantech Accelerator project. Highly promising Nordic startup companies in the cleantech sector are emerging, but at the same time private capital is withdrawing from the sector.

There is therefore a strong need to help these early-stage companies survive, and to speed up their growth. Nordic cleantech startups are typically strong on innovation and technology, but weaker when it comes to market and sales capacity.

The aim of this project is to design, establish and test an accelerator for growth of Nordic cleantech companies. The acceleration process will focus on market entry, partnerships, customer contact and internationalisation. It will provide intense training programmes, a new model for network building and faster funding, and a model for international market entry – paving the way for the Nordics as a global cleantech hotspot.

The thesis behind the business-driven Nordic Cleantech Accelerator project is that the Nordics needs an accelerator to become a global cleantech hotspot. Highly promising Nordic startup companies in the cleantech sector are emerging, but at the same time private capital is withdrawing from the sector.

There is therefore a strong need to help these early-stage companies survive, and to speed up their growth. Nordic cleantech startups are typically strong on innovation and technology, but weaker when it comes to market and sales capacity.

The aim of this project is to design, establish and test an accelerator for growth and internationalisation of Nordic cleantech companies. The acceleration process will focus on market entry, partnerships, customer contact and internationalisation. It will provide an intense training programme, a new model for network building and faster funding, and a model for international market entry – paving the way for the Nordics as a global cleantech hotspot.

Project status:

As of May 2015, the project is close to have finished building the training programme, has established and formalised the accelerator network, has developed sourcing and evaluation methods and is working with marketing and investigating the potential for a connected funding vehicle.